The Family
by Cam Flynn
Summary: "The phone was ringing, but there was no answer. Nothing. This was his third call this hour, and his eighth since he'd heard the rumors. Four hours ago. There was no way this could happen."


I dunno who's seen the ep (I can't even remember it's number anymore, just that it's in the 200s, before the 280s), but this was inspired by the time when he thought Ran and Kogoro had been captured by the Organization.

Again, it follows in the pattern of my usual DC fics...er, ficlets I suppose. I really do stand by the 'It's the little moments' philosophy. For whatever he was up to beforehand, I leave that to your imaginations. As for the rumors, I leave that to your imaginations as well. But know this - it was a rumor that was big enough or at least on-the-dot enough to scare him into thinking he'd lost the most important person in his life. Let your imaginations run wild, and enjoy my latest DC ficlet:

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**The Family**

The phone was ringing, but there was no answer. Nothing. This was his third call this hour, and his eighth since he'd heard the rumors. Four hours ago. There was no way this could happen. For eight different calls over such a long period of time to go unheeded. His only hope was that a case had come up unexpectedly, or that a friend had dragged them out for the afternoon. But his luck could only stretch so far, and he knew it was wearing thin. Every time he failed to get those monsters, he was one step closer to the grave. And every time, they were two steps closer.

His heart felt like it would pound right out of his chest. It almost hurt worse than when he changed into this body. Almost. His lungs gasped for air as he skidded in front of the familiar building, almost collapsing on the spot. This body was so pitiful. It was in top physical condition and couldn't handle running for long periods of time. Of course, the will can be stronger than the body. He forced his legs to charge up the stairs and into the office.

Silence. Somehow, it was comforting. There were no signs anyone had been in here recently. Of course, with the great 'Sleeping Sleuth,' there were also no signs signifying when exactly he had departed. It could have been anywhere from thirty minutes to right after Conan's own departure that morning. He took a quick glance around, heaving for air, then turned on his heels and rocketed up the next flight of stairs. The home.

"Ra…" he attempted to shout out, only to have his lungs betray him. His eyes searched the room, his feet carried him first to the bedrooms, then to the kitchen, and bathroom. Nothing. Not a soul. There were things scattered about carelessly, quite unlike Ran. If Sonoko had grabbed her for an afternoon out, the house certainly wouldn't look this unkempt. Whatever had happened, she'd left in a hurry. He leaned against a wall and took a few deep breaths.

"You're hopeless, really!" a voice shouted as its owner barged through the door. He turned and watched his secret love deposit her father on the floor, and take the stance of a mother grounding her unruly child.

"Ra…Ran!" he gasped, taking a few steps towards her before his body collapsed on itself. Her eyes turned to him in an instant, completely forgetting the drunkard she had just brought home.

"Conan-kun!" He closed his eyes as her arms wrapped around his body. "What happened? Are you hurt?" He couldn't speak, he could barely breathe. There was a vague awareness that his body was being moved, and his ears picked up on her threatening demands to her father. He obeyed, a good fear of her instilled in him long ago. "Hang in there, Conan-kun! I'll call a doctor…"

"No…no ne-eed…" he breathed shakily. "Just…tired…"

"Tired? How is this tired? You're about to pass out!" She laid his body down on her bed, grabbing the washcloth her father brought and snatching his glasses off so she could wipe off his face.

"…ran home…you…didn't…an…swer…" He heaved a little more, his mind thinking of all the excuses he could come up with. He couldn't tell them the truth. He couldn't lie to her again…

"Answer?" Kogoro clicked through the caller i.d.

"Eight?" the man exclaimed.

"Eight…You mean…you called home eight times, didn't you?"

"Yeah," the boy replied softly.

"In four hours, geeze…" Kogoro complained, departing from the room. "I'm not responsible for what happens to him!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Ran shouted back, gently running the cloth across Conan's forehead. Her eyes softened, just looking at him. It didn't take a genius to realize that something had spooked the boy. His breathing evened out, but his heart was still pounding. "How far did you run from?"

"A…few blocks?"

"Do I need to call Agasa-hakase and find out?" He cringed a little. She would definitely be a good mother someday.

"It was probably close…to a mile…"

"You ran a whole mile without resting? No wonder you're worn out!" A mile was nothing to his teenage body. Well, it was something, but certainly not this. Even if he'd kept the pace these tiny legs were keeping, he wouldn't have passed out. Not even close. The cloth passed over the sides of his face. It was laid across his forehead, and he felt her pull his shoes off.

"You don't have to…"

"Relax, take it easy. I'm here now." Her hand enveloped his, and his heart beat faster for a completely different reason. She stroked it slightly with her thumb, in that secret way mothers do when lulling their scared children off to sleep. "You must have been really worried, huh?"

"I heard…something bad happened…in this area." That was a good rumor. It was true, after all. The fire trucks had been blaring just up the street as he'd arrived. His eyes drifted shut. "I don't want to lose you." Her thumb stopped moving, and he dared peek at her face. Her expressions was lost somewhere in space.

"I was out until a little while ago," the words slowly came out, "and then I got a call from some of Dad's friends that he'd gotten himself drunk and needed to be taken home." Her thumb stroked the length of his minuscule hand a few more times. "Conan-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I know a lot of bad things have happened these last few months, with your parents. The accident must have been horrible. But I want you to know that bad things don't always happen, and I promise, _promise_ that I'll never leave you. Nothing in this world could take me away from you. And as long as you're with me, I promise to protect you. I won't let anything happen to you, not as long as I can help it." Shinichi felt his cheeks redden a little bit. "As long as you're in this house…no, even when you leave to live with your parents again. You're family now. You'll always be a part of my family." _I certainly hope so, _crossed through his mind involuntarily. That truth only reddened his cheeks even more.

"Thank you, Ran-neechan. I…I don't mean to worry you." She reached her free hand up and gently ran her fingers through his hair.

"It's alright. I know you must have been so scared just now, it's only natural to want to find out the truth, to want to know that the ones you love are safe." She watched as his eyelids fell shut at her motherly pampering. If only for this moment, this grown-up little boy wasn't about to complain that he was too old to be treated like this. For this moment, it was exactly what he needed. "Get some rest. I'll be right here when you wake up." This time, he allowed himself to succumb to the wishes of his shrunken body.


End file.
